A level apparatus is provided with an elongate level and a support. The level and the support each have opposed ends, front and rear faces and top and bottom faces. The top and bottom faces of the support are substantially planar and parallel to one another, and the top and bottom faces of the level are substantially planar and parallel to one another. A central position on the support is pivotally connected to the level such that the rear face of the support is in opposed facing relationship to the front face of the level. The level can be used in a conventional manner without utilizing the support. However, the support can be pivoted relative to the level into an orientation where the top or bottom face of the support can be positioned on the upper face of a beam such that the level extends downwardly from the support and the beam. The level then can be used to define a plumb line to which other structural elements can be positioned or compared.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An alignment apparatus comprising: an elongate level defining a direction of elongation and having opposed first and second ends, planar parallel top and bottom faces extending between the ends and spaced from one another by a level width, front and rear external faces extending between the ends and between the top and bottom faces, said front and rear external faces facing outwardly on said level, portions of the front face adjacent the top and bottom faces being substantially parallel to one another to define a plane extending substantially parallel to the direction of elongation, a first level bubble tube aligned substantially parallel to the direction of elongation for indicating a first gravitational orientation of said top and bottom faces of said level, a second level bubble tube aligned substantially orthogonal to the direction of elongation for indicating a second gravitational orientation of said top and bottom faces of said level; a support having opposed ends, planar top and bottom faces extending between the opposed ends, and front and rear faces extending between said top and bottom faces and between said ends, said top and bottom faces of said support being spaced from one another by a distance substantially equal to the level width, said support being pivotally connected to said front face of said level at a location between said first end of said level and said level bubble tubes, a first support bubble tube aligned substantially parallel to a top and bottom faces for indicating a first gravitational orientation of said top and bottom faces of said support, a second support bubble tube aligned substantially orthogonal to the top and bottom faces of said support for indicating a second gravitational orientation of said top and bottom faces of said support, the pivotal connection of the support to the level being maintainable at a selected pivotal orientation of said support relative to said level, the support extending beyond the plane defined by the front face of the level, and the level being free of structures spaced from said support and extending beyond said plane, such that said level can be suspended from a structural member by said support and oriented at a selected gravitational orientation with the front external face of the level in abutting facing relationship with a surface of the structural member.
2. The alignment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the support is pivotally connected to the level at a location on the support a first distance from the first end of the support and a second distance from the second end of the support, the pivotal connection further being at a selected distance from the first end of the level, the first distance being no grater than the selected distance and the second distance being greater than the selected distance, whereby the support can be pivoted from a storage position where the top and bottom faces of the support align respectively with the top and bottom faces of the level and where the first and second ends of the support are between the first and second ends of the level, and wherein the alignment apparatus can be pivoted to an extended position where the top and bottom faces of the support aligned respectively with the bottom and top faces of the level and wherein the second end of the support projects beyond the second end of the level.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 22, 2001
April 8, 2003
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.